The EIU view

Iraqi forces have territorially defeated Islamic State, although it remains a terrorist threat. Moqtada al-Sadr's list won the majority in the May 2018 election and chose Adel Abdul Mahdi as the prime minister in October. Political landscape will remain highly fragile owing to fragmented opposition. Public protests will occur intermittently owing to a lack of basic services. Economic conditions will improve with higher oil prices, but remain vulnerable to price shocks.

441,839 sq km, including 924 sq km of territorial waters and 3,522 sq km representing Iraq's half share of a neutral zone jointly administered with Saudi Arabia. (There is an agreement to divide the zone, which, unlike the Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone, has no oil resources. However, the division has yet to be made)

Iraqi dinar (ID); the dinar is pegged to the US dollar at ID1,182:US$1

TIME:

3 hours ahead of GMT

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:

National Day (anniversary of the 1958 overthrow of the Hashemite regime¡ªJuly 14th) remains a public holiday despite the scrapping of other political anniversaries

The dates of Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar and are therefore approximate. The month of Ramadan is not a public holiday, but significantly reduces the working day. Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan, June 15th 2018) and Eid al‑Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice, August 22nd 2018) are widely observed